Benjamin "Ben" GrimmThe Thing

Surviving an alcoholic father and a murdered brother, Ben Grimm becomes the leader of the Yancy Street Gang. Upon the death of his parents, his aunt and uncle get him on the right track. In college, he rooms with Reed Richards and later becomes an Air Force pilot, paving the way to becoming the Thing of the Fantastic Four.

Top o’ the World, Aunt Petunia!

Benjamin J. Grimm grows up in poverty on the sordid sidewalks of New York’s Yancy Street, where life’s hardships and his rough-and-tumble relatives teach him to be a fighter. He is named after his grandfather, a locally legendary backroom bare-knuckle brawler. Ben’s drunken dockworker father can’t hold down a job, so much of their family’s income came from Ben’s older brother Dan, a petty criminal who leads the Yancy Street Gang. Ben idolizes his brother, and when Dan is killed before Ben’s eyes during a rumble with the rival Thompson Avenue Gang, eight-year-old Ben grows increasingly bitter—especially after his aunt Sophie died of cancer that same year. His mother, Elsi, does her best to care for Ben and offers him guidance, aided by sympathetic neighbors like Mrs. Eva Coogan, but the embittered boy gradually drifts into street crime like his brother before him, seeing this as the only way he could financially support his family.

Ben eventually joins the Yancy Street Gang himself, stealing a treasured Star of David pendant from local pawnbroker Hiram Sheckerberg as an initiation test. Ben goes on to become the Gang’s leader, but when his parents are killed in an accident, the teenage Ben is forced to move uptown to live with his new guardians, his Uncle Jake and Aunt Alyce. The Yancy Street Gang denounces Ben as a sellout after he moves away, developing an enduring grudge against their former leader. A respected medical doctor, Jake had pulled himself up from the Yancy Street slums, and hoped he could help Ben make something of himself as well. Jake and Alyce are tough but loving parents, and while Ben resists them at first, their unconditional affection gradually wins Ben over. Ben finishes high school, discovering his natural football talent along the way, and earns a full-ride sports scholarship to State University.

At college, Ben rooms with scientific prodigy genius Reed Richards. He earns the eternal friendship of Reed  and promises to pilot the starship Richards intends to design and build. Ben becomes a star quarterback at State, and spends much of his time trying to coax his more socially awkward roommate out of his shell, though he also unwittingly helps Reed expose extraterrestrial Skrull spy Zankor during this period. Outgoing and popular, Ben soon finds a steady girlfriend in Alynn Cambers, his first true love. When Alynn abruptly drops out of school, Ben tracks her down and proposes marriage. Though she loves Ben, Alynn wanted a Hollywood acting career more, and she feels that goal left no room for a serious romantic relationship. She rejects the heartbroken Ben’s proposal, eventually becoming a star as she had planned.

Upon graduating from college, Grimm joins the United States military service  to fulfill his dream of becoming a flyboy and gains experience in the astronaut program. He trains in a series of military operations, Ben shifting from combat duty to become a test pilot, one of the best in the Air Force. He forms close friendships with fellow pilots Desmond Pitt (later the demonic Darkoth) and Mick Clancy and finds new love with scientist Dr. Linda McGill. Ben undertakes dangerous government assignments on occasion. At least twice, he works with mutant Canadian intelligence operative Logan (James Howlett, later Wolverine), such as when the Pentagon assigned Grimm, Logan and U.S. agent Carol Danvers (later Ms. Marvel) to enter Russian air space, supposedly to test a series of radio transmitters. The trio are shot down but fight their way out of Russia, clashing with elite Russian agent Natalia Shostakova, AKA the Black Widow, while Logan completes his true mission, capturing the rare oscillating metal used by Russia’s Project: Red Storm. Ben eventually moves into the astronaut training program, where his colleagues include fellow pilot John Jameson (later Wolf-Man).

Reconnecting with Reed, Grimm agrees to take his friend and siblings Susan "Sue" Storm and Johnny Storm on an unauthorized test flight of Richards’ new spacecraft.  Ben warns Reed of his misgivings over its radiation shielding, but Reed’s girlfriend Sue—to whom Ben was somewhat attracted—played on Ben’s machismo by accusing him of cowardice, and he impulsively agrees to make the flight. While in space, the four find themselves bombarded by cosmic rays and Grimm manages to bring the ship in for a crash-landing back on Earth. Upon emerging from the wreckage, the crew are subject to incredible changes from the radiation, and the pilot himself lucklessly transforms into a hulking, boulder-skinned strongman, quickly dubbed the Thing. With invisibility powers, Sue becomes known as Invisible Girl, while Johnny, who could burst into flame and fly, is dubbed Human Torch, and with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths, Reed becomes known as Mister Fantastic. The quartet decide to use their powers for the betterment of humanity, and  operate as a team—and a family—known as the Fantastic Four.

Like a Rock

The Thing stands as one of the most powerful individuals on the planet, perhaps second only to Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk. His unique physique enables him to lift nearly 100 tons, withstand extreme temperatures, and survive intense bombardments of energy and explosive detonations. In all, his rock-like skin has only been known to be pierced by extraterrestrial weaponry or sorcerous means, and while uncomfortable-looking is actually supple and allows him a wealth of movement. That said, he finds his thick three fingers and opposable thumb difficult to operate controls and machinery not specifically designed for his use.

Grimm’s outward form mutates over his years as the Thing, changing from a lumpy hide to what appears to be individual rocks linked together, and at one time he possesses the ability to regain his human form at will. This ability is no longer available to him, but  he accepts living with his deformity, gaining a level of complacency with it.

As a pilot, Grimm ranks alongside the world’s best and his natural leadership qualities, honed as a gang leader on Yancy Street and his later military experience, makes him a person others wish to follow, despite his sometimes cantankerous moods. The Thing is a loyal friend, though, and earns the respect of most of his fellow champions around the globe.

A Foundation of Friends

Ben looks upon the Fantastic Four as his true family, and counts Reed as his best friend. The two form a bond during their college days, and, while tested upon many occasions, withstands the challenges presented through their years adventuring. The Thing once sees Sue Storm Richards as a romantic interest, but she instead becomes one of the few individuals to see the heart of the man beneath his rocky skin. In addition, while Grimm and Johnny seem to exist to bedevil each other, the two would lay down their lives for each other.

The love of the Thing’s life, Alicia Masters, captures his heart early in the Fantastic Four’s existence. Grimm is attracted to her calm demeanor and her ability to see into people’s souls despite her blindness, and though their relationship meets with many challenges over time, they always find each other and rekindle their romance. Grimm eventually proposes to Masters and the two are finally wed as husband and wife.

Most Super Heroes on Earth see Ben Grimm as a staunch ally and strong partner, a status he values and never tries to exploit. The Thing’s grown closest to such luminaries as longtime Fantastic Four friend Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, the mutant Wolverine, patriot Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, and street-smart Luke Cage. 

A Revolting Development of Enemies

As a founder of the Fantastic Four, the Thing’s long list of foes exceeds that of most other heroes. Possibly his arch-enemy could be said to be Doctor Doom, whom Grimm met in college as Victor von Doom, Latverian monarch and scientific genius. In nearly every encounter between the two, Grimm seeks personal battle with Doom, while the despot himself most always underestimates his rocky foe’s resilience and stamina.

A similar sort of enmity exists between the Thing and Namor McKenzie, AKA Namor the Sub-Mariner, perhaps grounded in Namor’s interest in Sue and his intense dislike for her husband Reed, Grimm’s best friend. On a more basic level, the Thing’s become the target for every subsequent iteration of the Yancy Street Gang of local toughs due to the legacy of his leaving the group at an early age to go off to school.

Overall, some schools of thought suggest that the truest, real enemy in Grimm’s rogue’s gallery stands as himself.

Clobberin’ Time!

As the Fantastic Four began to develop into a working team led by Mr. Fantastic, the Thing lumbered out into the world to find his place in it as a “monster.” As that transpired he sought conflicts with the powerful Hulk, teamed with the Human Torch for adventures, and navigated continuous changes to his appearance and strength. These changes also impacted his personality and mood, bringing bouts of anger, such as the time when he returned home after his transformation to his girlfriend Linda, who fled in fear of Ben’s monstrous appearance. She soon tried to comfort him and expressed a willingness to continue their relationship; but he felt she’d be better off without him, so he feigned an insane rage and threatened her, scaring her away. They never reconciled. His bouts of anger also inspired him to quit the team with little provocation, and even attempt to exile himself in other time periods and other remote locations.

Reed sought a cure for his friend’s condition in these early years, at times concocting temporary antidotes to the cosmic radiation, but the only real balm to Grimm’s soul came in the form of lovely, blind sculptress Alicia Masters.

Following troubles and turmoil with the Fantastic Four and its almost-constant conflicts with menaces both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, Grimm took on positions outside the team, such as head of security for the government’s Pegasus Project. At one point, he seemed to finally change back to his original human body permanently, but when he chafed at being sidelined during his team’s adventures, Richards created a Thing exoskeleton suit of armor for him to wear. During this time, Richards also began to form a theory that his friend possessed the ability to change at will, but withheld his surmise from Grimm.

Having changed again back into the Thing, Grimm reluctantly joined his fellow heroes on the alien planet called Battleworld to clash with villains brought in by the all-powerful Beyonder. The Thing, then able to change at will as Richards’ posited, stayed on the planet after the other heroes returned to Earth and for a while adventured there before he, too, came back to his birthworld. Once there, he found himself unable to regain his human form and lapsed into a funk over what he saw as Mr. Fantastic’s disloyalty and Alicia’s betrayal of their relationship with Johnny Storm. Though no one knew it, Alicia had been replaced by an alien Skrull Lyja the Lazerfist, AKA Lyja.

Separated from the Fantastic Four once more, the Thing met the statuesque Sharon Ventura and together they entered the exciting world of Unlimited Class Wrestling, as well as briefly associating with the West Coast Avengers. After another mutation of his rocky skin, Grimm rejoined the Fantastic Four and became its leader when Reed and Sue retired for a short while. Ventura, now transformed into a “She-Thing,” struck up a romance with Grimm and also fought alongside his team until Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman’s eventual return. Later, the She-Thing grew mentally unstable and clashed with Grimm and the team.

Doctor Doom instituted an even deadlier campaign against his enemies and possessed Grimm’s body to battle them. The Thing seemed to die following that event and Richards and the others sought the path of his soul, tracing it all the way to “Heaven” and an audience with a being known simply as the Creator. Grimm’s late brother convinced him to reclaim his life on Earth and the Fantastic Four experienced another reunion and restrengthening of their bond as a family. Unfortunately, once back to work, they discovered their resources drained by the U.S. government and were forced to operate with low funds and at menial jobs to make ends meet.

Grimm then came into a sizable fortune from investments not seized by the government and rode a rollercoaster of breezy spending and subsequent charity donations. Though unhappy with the institution of the Superhuman Registration Act, the Thing agreed to work with official forces to capture heroes who rebelled against it. This brought him into conflict with Sue and Johnny, and in the wake of Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America’s surrender to law enforcement, he went into a self-imposed exile to clear his head after the “civil war” between two factions of his heroic friends.

Once back with the Fantastic Four, Grimm led the team again yet that time with T’Challa, AKA Black Panther, and the X-Men’s Storm as replacements for Reed and Sue Richards. Around this time, the team rescued the real Alicia Masters from the alien Skrulls and Grimm kindled a serious romance with schoolteacher Debbie Green after learning that Masters wished to remain just friends with him. Luke Cage then asked the Thing to split his time between a newly reformed Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and Grimm spent a tense time as Angrir, Breaker of Souls, when he became possessed by a mystical hammer during a world-wide battle between Earth’s heroes and the insidious Serpent.

Once cleared of being accused of murdering Alicia Masters’ stepfather Phillip Masters, AKA Puppet Master, the Thing joined the underground resistance movement against an altered Captain America’s Hydra regime and briefly joined both the outer space Guardians of the Galaxy and the earthbound S.H.I.E.L.D. When Doctor Doom took advantage of the destruction of the multiverse and built a patchwork Battleworld of his own, Grimm found himself a living wall called the Shield on the strange planet and later aided Reed’s victory over the god-like Doom.

With Doom’s former power, Richards reconstituted the prime universe, but chose to remain behind the scenes with Sue and their children to rebuild other realities. Grimm and Johnny searched for them through multiple universes with a device built by Mr. Fantastic called the Multisect, and were finally reunited with them to once more inaugurate a bold new era of the Fantastic Four.